Grainger Attacks Land-use Proposal

Claiming that a land-use plan for southeastern Lake County is seriously flawed, officials of a large manufacturing firm that wants to build its worldwide headquarters there have called for the proposal to be revised.

Representatives from W.W. Grainger Inc. told planners from Lincolnshire, Mettawa and Lake Forest at a public hearing Thursday night in Lincolnshire that the company's plan for an office park in Mettawa would fit in with the municipality's plan to preserve open space in the area.

Representatives of the three towns said that they prefer low-density residential development rather than the company's controversial plan.

The purpose of Thursday night's hearing was to gather public opinion on a proposed joint land-use agreement drafted by a committee of representatives from the three towns.

Those attending voiced few direct comments about Grainger's plans, but Grainger representatives met with skepticism and scoffing from the audience.

The land-use agreement, which does not have the force of law but could influence future decisions by the county, favors residential uses for the area, not commercial ones.

Grainger, a Skokie-based manufacturer of industrial supplies, has been hoping to construct a new headquarters building near the Tri-State Tollway and Illinois Highway 60 on property it owns. The project has been controversial ever since it was conceived four years ago. It has resulted in a series of legal battles that likely will have to be resolved by the Illinois Supreme Court.

Before the hearing, Grainger officials said they decided to make a public statement Thursday because the planning committee has declined several requests for a meeting.

Officials for the company "believe that the planning committee has refused to provide Grainger with an adequate opportunity to be heard," said James Baisley, vice president and general counsel for Grainger.

In addition, Grainger officials say that even though they endorse the concept of joint land-use planning, they believe that the land-use agreement as proposed is flawed because:

- It does not take into account a property owner's constitutional rights to develop his property.

- It includes factual errors regarding the accessibility of public sewer and water and exaggerates projections of future traffic congestion.

- It fails to recognize the merits of a mixed use for property in a rapidly growing part of the county that already includes offices side-by-side with residences.

Grainger would like the land-use plan to include options for non-residential uses.

And the company said the plan should stipulate that those uses be environmentally sensitive, protect against increased traffic congestion and offer public benefits, such as preserved open space.

Grainger officials believe that their proposal can meet those standards and "set significantly high standards for future development," Baisley said.

The company has proposed a mixed-use design that would include the headquarters as well as residential estates and several hundred acres of preserved open space.

Grainger's proposal, however, has been vigorously opposed by residents in Mettawa and nearby unincorporated Lake County who believe that the area should stay residential only.

Mettawa is zoned for 5-acre residential lots, and many residents fear that approval of Grainger's proposal would create a domino effect, opening the door to commercial development.

The battle became even more embittered when Grainger successfully sued Mettawa in 1990 for disconnection from the village, a decision that was upheld earlier this year by the Illinois Appellate Court.

Mettawa leaders have said the village will appeal the decision. But if it is upheld, Grainger can seek permission for its development from the county.